It 'amazing how many shirts are considered something to throw away because the neck and/or the cuffs are worn. I receive some every year by my father, my father in law and other relatives, as they know that I alterate them to make them wearable again.

If the problem are neck and cuffs, the first thing I do is to cut them off, because often those of men's shirts are rigid and annoying. Here I took a photo of the last shirt my father passed me after I already cut the neck.

In this case the shirt was already more or less the right size, but, being straight, it was a little tight on the hips and large on the waist.

I solved the problem very easily by cutting just above the flaw. So I also got a straight hem, which I find much nicer and modern than theshirts classic round hems.

Initially I thought of removing the buttons of the original collar and add a new rounded collar made with scraps of fabric, but in the end (oddly, given my love for tackiness), I choose a cut as simple and clean as possible, leaving only the buttons as decoration.

I cut the sleeves and I hemmed the raw edges.

In this way I got a short modern shirt, which looks nice with high-waisted pants and skirts. As the fabric is lightand thesleeves short, I think is will be especially confortable in summer.

Below I collected all my tutorials to alterate shirts, so that it is easier to orient yourself if you are looking for an idea to revive an old one.

There's an italian proverb that says "the gown does not make the friar" meaning that even if you dress up to make people believe that you are someone you aren't, your soul remains unchanged. I believe the contrary: dressing up can help you becoming the person you want to be. So the gown makes the friar, the fairy, the knight, the elf, the worker...